Tener

Idiomatic Expressions with “Tener”
Spanish also has many idiomatic expressions. Although their literal translations sound odd
to English speakers, they sound perfectly natural to native speakers. Here is one example:
Idiom ....................... Hace mucho frío
Literally .................... It makes much cold
True Meaning ........... It is very cold
There are many idiomatic expressions that use the verb tener. This one expresses age:
Idiom ....................... tener _____ años
Literally .................... to have _____ years
True Meaning ........... to be _____ years old
Many other expressions using tener express physical sensations:
tener frío.................. to be cold
tener calor ............... to be hot
tener hambre ........... to be hungry
tener sed.................. to be thirsty
tener sueño.............. to be sleepy
tener dolor de .......... to hurt or be sore, etc.
There are also many idiomatic expressions with tener that express sensations more
psychological in nature:
tener prisa.......................................................... to be in a hurry
tener miedo a/de + noun ................................... to be afraid of something
tener miedo a/de + infinitive .............................. to be afraid to do something
tener celos ......................................................... to be jealous
tener confianza .................................................. to be confident
tener cuidado..................................................... to be careful
tener vergüenza ................................................. to be ashamed
There are other idiomatic expressions with tener as well:
tener razón .............. to be right
tener éxito ............... to be successful
tener la culpa ........... to be guilty
tener suerte ............. to be lucky
tener lugar ............... to take place
tener ganas de ......... to feel like
tener en cuenta........ to take into account
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An idiom is an expression that cannot be immediately understood by analyzing its literal
meaning. A few examples of idioms in English are:
to be “on the go”
to “play the field”
to “jump the gun”
Notice that the expressions combine the verb tener with a noun:
el año
los celos
el frío
la confianza
el calor
el cuidado
la hambre
la vergüenza
la sed
la razón
el sueño
el éxito
el dolor
la culpa
la prisa
la suerte
el miedo
el lugar
Because the expressions with tener use nouns, they are modified with adjectives, not
adverbs.
Tengo frío.
Tengo mucho frío. (not muy)
The first practice exercise and test will cover ten of the most common and useful of these
expressions:
tener _____ años
tener calor
tener frío
tener hambre
tener sed
tener prisa
tener miedo a/de _____
tener razón
tener suerte
Practice exercises 2–4 and test 2 will cover all of the expressions in this lesson.
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Copyright © 1997–2005 Spanish Learning Resources — All Rights Reserved. This page may be reproduced for non-profit educational purposes, provided it is reproduced in its entirety.
When using these idiomatic expressions, conjugate the verb (tener) according to the
subject of the sentence.
Yo tengo cinco años.
Tú tienes ocho años.
Pablo tiene dos años.